BC Funds Forestry Waste Biochar Pilot
Supporting wood-waste innovation in the Kootenays
British Columbia is providing approximately CA$182,000 (US$131,000) to Wildsight to support its Fire for Healthy Soils project in Creston.
The funding, provided through the Rural Economic Diversification and Infrastructure Program (REDIP), will support a pilot project to convert wood waste into biochar, a stable, carbon-rich form of charcoal produced by heating organic waste in a low-oxygen environment.
The project will bring together Wildsight, the Creston Community Forest, and the Regional District of Central Kootenay to test a biochar business model using low-cost kiln technology. Instead of pile-burning waste wood, the project will convert hazardous wildfire fuels and wood waste into biochar for use in forestry, agriculture, composting, gardening, and landscaping.
The province said the project is intended to demonstrate a scalable model for rural BC communities, supporting forestry revenue, reducing emissions, strengthening food security, and creating local training and job opportunities through the Youth Climate Corps.
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